Anti-Drug Blitz in the Pearl of the Amalfi Coast: Seven Strikes to the Heart of Drug Dealing for Foreign Tourists Positano (Salerno), October 7, 2025 –
A lightning operation by the Carabinieri has dismantled a network of drug dealers who were flooding the beaches and alleys of the Amalfi Coast with cocaine, transforming the holidaymakers' paradise into a black market for drugs.
This morning, at dawn, the military of the Naples Provincial Command executed seven precautionary measures issued by the preliminary investigations judge of the Torre Annunziata Court, at the request of the Public Prosecutor's Office, severely cracking down on an illegal drug ring that targeted the wallets—and blood vessels—of foreign tourists seeking relaxation under the Campania sun.
The investigation, which started from a simple roadblock and ended with the arrest of an entire chain, tells a story that goes beyond simple drug trafficking: it is the portrait of a flourishing business, camouflaged among the bright colors of the houses overlooking the sea and the paths scented with lemon trees.
It all began last March 2023, when the Carabinieri of the Sorrento Company stopped a luxury car – a large-engine sedan – zigzagging along the winding roads of the Sorrento Peninsula.
At the wheel, one of today's suspects, caught engaging in blood-curdling maneuvers: reckless overtaking, wild acceleration, as if the asphalt were a rally circuit rather than a crowded tourist route.
That seemingly routine check turns out to be a crack in the wall of a well-oiled operation.
It might interest you
The result? The reconstruction of over eighty cocaine deals, from March to October 2023, with an operational base right in the heart of Positano—the "vertical city" that was the icon of La Dolce Vita—but with ramifications as far as Torre Annunziata and the Sorrento Peninsula.
The customers? Not just the usual suspects from the local underworld, but a constant stream of tourists, especially foreigners, drawn by Amalfi's charm and unaware (or perhaps not) that they're getting a round of ready-made doses.
"A thriving business that exploited the tourist boom to sell its goods," investigative sources explain, underlining how the Amalfi Coast, with its millions of annual visitors, is fertile ground for these predators.
Over the months, targeted raids have led to the seizure of dozens of doses, for a total of over three hundred grams of ultra-pure cocaine, already portioned for retail: street packets, hidden in pockets, under seats, or among the rocks of the most isolated bays.
Of the seven precautionary measures, two are in prison and two are under house arrest.
A haul that, if put on the market, would have brought in thousands of euros, drained from the pockets of those who had come for a sunset aperitif, not for a chemical "trip." The precautionary measures, calibrated for the severity of the roles, leave no escape: two suspects end up behind prison bars, deprived of liberty due to the risk of reoffending; two others are confined to house arrest, with one forced to wear an electronic bracelet; a third is ordered to reside outside the province of Salerno, with the obligation to periodically report to the Carabinieri; for a fourth, the ban is more stringent, no longer residing in Positano; finally, the last must simply sign the Judicial Police register, but under the watchful eye of law enforcement.
The operation spread like a wave beyond the Campania region's borders, reaching the provinces of Naples, Salerno, Cosenza, Lecce, and Pescara, where the accomplices were nabbed one by one.
Comments (1)
This Carabinieri operation appears to have been very important in stopping drug dealing in Positano. It's unfair that tourists are exploited in this way. We hope the authorities continue to work hard to ensure safety.